Chapter 4

I sighed, dragging myself out of bed to change, and followed Lucas out.

Just as I reached to open the passenger side door, I noticed someone was already sitting there.

Chloe flashed the engagement ring on her finger and smiled brightly:

"Sorry, Autumn."

"I've never worn a wedding dress before, so I begged Lucas to let me tag along and try some on. You don't mind, right?"

I glanced at Lucas.

His eyes darted away, muttering a vague, "Yeah," before hurrying me:

"Chloe's just curious, that's all. Hop in, Autumn, we're running out of time."

I gave a quiet, self-mocking laugh, stepped back, and got into the backseat instead.

"I don't mind. Let's go together."

The car pulled up outside a private, high-end bridal boutique.

Racks of breathtaking designer gowns lined the showroom, giving me the fleeting, cruel illusion that happiness was actually within reach.

I pointed to the gown that caught my eye first and went into the fitting room.

When the consultant pulled the curtain open,

I saw genuine adoration in Lucas's eyes for the very first time.

He looked up at me, his voice slightly raspy:

"Autumn, I..."

"Lucas! How do I look in this one? Isn't it gorgeous?"

That look in his eyes barely lasted two seconds.

Chloe instantly stole the spotlight, and Lucas snapped out of his daze like a startled animal. He spun around to shower Chloe with attention, watching her try on dress after dress.

Still wearing that bridal gown, I sat quietly in an armchair in the corner of the first floor.

I pulled out my phone and snapped a selfie.

It looked nice.

Even if I was only wearing it for myself, it was still beautiful.

It was nearly dark by the time Chloe finally settled on a dress.

Only when Lucas went up to pay did he remember that I, the actual bride, was still there.

When he came down to look for me, he found Ethan standing beside me, having arrived at some point without anyone noticing.

Ethan was talking to me, looking at me with a soft smile:

"Autumn, that gown really suits you."

I gave a flat, polite nod.

Remembering how he had dumped me right before our own planned wedding multiple times, I had no desire to chat.

Ethan seemed to sense my coldness.

After a long pause, he asked hesitantly:

"Do you... really want to marry Lucas?"

His question caught me off guard.

I froze for a moment, then let out a slightly silly, hollow laugh.

"Yes."

"Lucas told me he loves me."

"I just want to marry someone who loves me."

That was the first time I ever saw hesitation and inner turmoil on Ethan's usually ruthless face.

He seemed desperate to say something.

"Autumn, I could..."

"Ethan!"

Before Ethan could finish, Lucas rushed over and cut him off.

Lucas glared warily at his older brother, subtly stepping in front of me.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?"

"You came to pick up Chloe, right? She's upstairs. You should go up."

With that, Lucas grabbed my hand and led me out to the car.

Just before I stepped out at my apartment, Lucas mysteriously pressed a small velvet box into my hand.

I opened it.

Inside rested an antique ring.

"It belonged to my mother. I had it resized to your finger last night."

"Autumn, I love you."

"If I ever mess up in the future, could you ever forgive me?"

I took the box.

"I could."

"But if you lie to me, I will never forgive you."

Turning around, I walked toward the building entrance. Feeling a sudden pull, Lucas jumped out of the car and called after me:

"Autumn!"

I truly believed that in that split second, Lucas wanted to come clean.

Yet after wrestling with himself, all he managed to say was:

"Goodnight. Wait for me to come marry you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

I answered calmly as his car drove away into the distance.

I carried the garment bag with the wedding dress inside, placing it neatly beside the ring box on the table, along with a digital voice recorder.

I shut the door and headed straight to the airport.

The terminal was virtually empty in the dead of night. Leaning back against the waiting area seat, I stared at the selfie of me in the wedding dress.

After staring at it for a long time, I finally hit delete.

Autumn Brooks.

Stop begging to be loved.

As the plane climbed smoothly into the night sky, looking down at the city lights shrinking below,

I closed my eyes and whispered a wish for sunny skies ahead.

Meanwhile, back at the penthouse, Ethan tossed and turned.

Knowing that Lucas planned to abandon me at the altar tomorrow, Ethan grabbed his phone, desperate to warn me.

But just as his thumb hovered over my name,

Dr. Miller's call lit up his screen first.

"Ethan, the emergency lab results for those pills you sent over last night just came in."

Ethan's heart plummeted inexplicably:

"What is it?"

Dr. Miller's tone was frantic:

"Ethan, did you mix something up?"

"This isn't for migraines. This is a high-dose, clinical-grade antidepressant."

"Judging by the dosage, this patient is in an exceptionally critical state.

I strongly recommend immediate psychiatric hospitalization. It's highly probable the patient is already exhibiting high-risk behavior."

Ethan gripped his phone, his mind detonating into static.

In utter disbelief, he pressed:

"Explain that to me. What do you mean by high-risk behavior?"

"Suicide."